Just Girls: Conversations on resistance, social justice and the mental health struggles of women — Shelja Sen
$5.50
During the COVID-19 pandemic, my work with young women dealing with experiences of trauma, gender-based violence and pressure to conform to patriarchal definitions of success took the form of a journey metaphor that could be used across age, class, language and culture. The Courage Map brought a sense of movement and hope in times of despair and immobility. This methodology helped to render visible, externalise and politicise acts of social injustice, turning the gaze back on normative judgment and acknowledging micro-acts of resistance, care and protest (individual or collective). It invited personal agency and counter-stories, documenting, collectivising and inviting contributions to build solidarity. In this paper, stories of two young women illustrate how conversations that start in the therapy space can create ripples in our sociocultural and political contexts.
Description
During the COVID-19 pandemic, my work with young women dealing with experiences of trauma, gender-based violence and pressure to conform to patriarchal definitions of success took the form of a journey metaphor that could be used across age, class, language and culture. The Courage Map brought a sense of movement and hope in times of despair and immobility. This methodology helped to render visible, externalise and politicise acts of social injustice, turning the gaze back on normative judgment and acknowledging micro-acts of resistance, care and protest (individual or collective). It invited personal agency and counter-stories, documenting, collectivising and inviting contributions to build solidarity. In this paper, stories of two young women illustrate how conversations that start in the therapy space can create ripples in our sociocultural and political contexts.
